2001 Honda Prelude problems & reliability
21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Honda Prelude, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2001 Honda Prelude vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 11 | 52% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 19% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 19% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 5% |
| Equipment | 1 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 5% |
| Steering | 1 | 5% |
| Structure | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Takata recall any time I put my car in d4 (automatic) it gets to about 2500 rpm to 3000 rpm in 1st then I have to message the throttle so it will shift and once it shifts to 2nd it starts shifting very quickly no matter the rpms to 3rd then 4th. Also when it's shifting it jerks pretty violently.”
Power Train · filed Mar 9, 2019
“While driving the car just turns off then wont start for awhile when starts back up shuts off while driving down the road we know there is a recall on the ignition switch and interior lights on this vehicle we have three kids that ride in this car and don't want something to happen while we are driving the car and it…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jun 12, 2013
“Tl*the contact owns a 2001 honda prelude. While driving approximately 15 mph a vehicle crashed into the front end passenger side of the contacts vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the body damage was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.”
Air Bags · filed May 10, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
Preliminary Evaluation PE05002 · opened Jan 13, 2005 · closed Feb 2, 2005 · led to recall 05V025000
Technical service bulletins
58 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Honda Prelude. The 10 most recent:
"Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"
A07-030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 23, 2021
This SKU is a Front Upper Ball Joint. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the outer diameter of the ball joint housing being too small. The outer diameter being too small would…
DORE5C4S09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 11, 2019
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated.
DLR MSG - Honda · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2014
Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-040, Safety Recall…
DLR MSG - Stop S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2014
Load carrying capacity reduced label for all honda vehicles. *pe
08-040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2008
Concerns with engine hesitation or stumble can be felt under light acceleration between 1,500 and 2,000 rpm. *yc updated 10/09/07. *nj
98074 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 20, 2007
Warranty extension: accord, odyssey, and prelude automatic transmission. Update. *tt
02062 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2004
Dtc (diagnostic trouble code) p1279, pgm tester software error. *sc
804 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 16, 2004
Concerns with warped or deformed windshield molding. *tt update. *tt
00064 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 3, 2004
A condition exist where the upper windshield molding is warped or deformed. *tt this bulletin 00-064 replaced bulletin 98-066 dated march 28, 2000. *tt
98066 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 3, 2004
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2001 Honda Prelude has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2001 Honda Prelude?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.